Swimming-glove.



L. M. BAKER.

SWIMMIN .wmummou FILED no G GLOVE.

such web and the LORENZO M. BAKER, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

SWIMMING-GLOVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8, i913.

Application filed November 10, 1911. Serial No. 659.549.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, Lomnvzo M. BAKER, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of 1franklin and State oi'; .Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swimming-Gloves, oil which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to swimming gloves and is particularly swimming glove of a comparatively light and portable structure and one which is readily foldable to be carried in the pocket, if so desired. It is designed to be readily adaptable to practically any normal sized hand,. and to insure such adaptability I desirably provide the finger holds or rings of an adjustable character.

One of the essential aims of my invention resides in the provision of a swimming glove which is of greater arealthan a normally extended or spread hand and which is, at the same time, rigid and yet of a construction to permit partial doubling of the hand so as to prevent the hand from cramping in any one position. It contemplates, therefore, the provision oi embracing the palm of the wearers hand and a supplemental web portion 4desirably formed integral therewith and of a greater expanse than the spread fingers of the normal hand. This supplemental web portion vis desirably reinforced at intervals by ribs preferably extending in the same plane with vthe fingers of an inserted hand and desirably terminating at their inner ends at such a point that the web portion may he readily bent at an angle to the body portion, thus permitting doubling of the hand in a measure. The opposite extremities of the ribs terminateat the outer periphery of the web portionand owing to the flexible nature of. spaced relation of these ribs, the user may readily move the said ribs toward eachother and reduce the area of the glove.

v,The preferred Yform of my invention is shown in the 'accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts, and in which- Figure l. is a plan view of my glove showing the disposition of the finger rings thereon, Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and, Fig. 3 is a detail view taken on line 3-3 o-Fig. 1, showing designed to provide ar a .body portion foi" the preferred type of finger ring utilized by me.

My glove comprises a palm embracing body portion Il having a thumb hold 2, a sleeve 3 for the Vpassage oi the little finger and a web portion Il. This web portion is of the same general contour as a spread hand and is provided with spaced diverging ribs Mounted upon these ribs 5 are ring members G which are desirably bent from a piece of sheet metal so as tohave an integral overlapping element of loop form as at 7. `This overlapping element is designed to embrace one of the ribs 5. The ring is limited ,in its longitudinal movement upon 4the ribs 5 by any preferred means such as threads 8.

It will be seen that I have provided a swimming gloye of flexible material such as canvas or any comparatively waterproof material and that the major portion of this glove is in the nature of a web formation having controlling ribs thereon. The posilion of these controlling ribs is such that the hand may be readily doubled to a certain extent and yet under normal conditions the web will be comparatively rigid and because of its comparative size will produce a greatly increased resistance surface to faci litate swimming by the wearer. The adjustable nature oi the finger holds or rings, renders the glove readily applicable to practically any wearer having the average hand.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a swimming attachment oi collapsible form so that it may be readily carried and yet my swimming device is sufficiently efficacious owing 'to its comparatively great arca and owing to the fact that it has sufficient rigidity throughout its extent.

A swimming glove comprising a. palm embracing body, a flexible web 'on said body of the general contour of a spread hand, ribs lor said web, finger rings loosely slidable on said ribs and stops on said ribs for limiting 'the sliding adjustment of said rings.

Q In testimony whereof I affix my signature 1n' presenceV of two witnesses.

LORENZO M. BAKER.

Witnesses:

WALTER E. L. BooK, A. L. Ii-mnrs. 

